Which to use
“weichen” is a verb and “Weilchen” is a noun - they look or sound alike but fill different roles in a sentence.
- #4,396
- “weichen” frequency rank
- #33,392
- “Weilchen” frequency rank
- 37788
- confusion score
Side-by-Side Comparison
| Feature | weichen | Weilchen |
|---|---|---|
| Definition | sich entfernen, weggehen/Platz machen | unbestimmte, meist kurze Zeitspanne |
Where the eye mixes weichen and Weilchen
Muted = shared; highlighted = the visual trap. They share 7 letters in sequence.
Visual trap between weichen and Weilchen
These two trip readers on the page rather than in the ear: weichen is [ˈvaɪ̯çn̩] while Weilchen is [ˈvaɪ̯lçən]. Spoken aloud the problem disappears. In writing it persists, because they differ by 1 letter(s) in length, and the parts of speech differ too (verb vs noun), which is usually the fastest check. Our composite confusion score for this pair is 37788, derived from the frequency rank of both members and their visual similarity.
weichen is recorded at frequency rank #4,396, classified as averb, pronounced [ˈvaɪ̯çn̩]. Weilchen is at rank #33,392, tagged as anoun, pronounced [ˈvaɪ̯lçən].
Glosses for this pair are partially populated in our dataset, but the full side-by-side definitions above should still guide you to the right choice.
With a confusion score of 37788, this pair ranks #1,581,039 of 2,006,359 scored German confusable pairs - a relatively easy-to-tell-apart pair.
Orthographic DNA of weichen vs Weilchen
Shared letters: cehinw. Private to "weichen": -. Private to "Weilchen": l.
"weichen" · 7 letters · shape CVVCCVC · "Weilchen" · 8 letters · shape CVVCCCVC
Known mistypes of this pair
Frequently Asked Questions
Is swapping "weichen" for "Weilchen" ever safe?
In ordinary German text, does "weichen" or "Weilchen" show up more?
Useful next steps
Visual near-miss handled. Browse the word pages or a neighbour when the next look-alike shows up.
- Full dictionary entry for "weichen" with definition, IPA, and generated misspellings. Word entry
- Full dictionary entry for "Weilchen" - compare definitions side by side with the headword page. Word entry
- This pair ranks #1,581,039 of 2,006,359 scored German confusable pairs in this corpus vintage. Corpus statistics
- "weichen" and "Weilchen" also get mixed up with nearby pairs, the highest-scored neighbour is "Weilchen vs weilen". Nearby pair
- Recorded mistypes exist for at least one side of this pair, useful when a spell-checker or OCR lands on the wrong form. See mistypes
Confusion rank #1,581,039 of 2,006,359 scored German pairs, corpus vintage 2026-09-03, not spelling advice.